November plans
Some of you may know, November is National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel from November 1 to 30. That means 2,500 words or so a day.
Whether it’s a good idea or not, I have signed up and plan to forge ahead. For the month of November, I may have to teach the husband to do laundry!
Yes, I still have edits to do on In Dawn’s Shadows, and I have the second book to prep for my critique group. But hey, why not add one more thing?
I want to have another project to pitch at next year’s writer’s conferences, and I have this World War Two era novel burning inside me. Sometimes, it is good to step away and work on other projects.
So, starting in November, I will blog about the highs and lows, and how I balance all this craziness. (Or fail to!)
I’m determined to push through. Luckily, I have the plot mapped out.
At NaNoWriMo.org, you can watch my daily word count and progress, but I will post my progress here as well. Blog posts might be a bit more sporadic but I promise to get some book reviews and some other articles in here to spice it up!
So…as of Sunday…here goes nothing! 
Book Review: Catching Fire
I indulged this weekend. Rather, I was trapped by this book. Somehow my hands were chained to the hardcover binding and flipping pages madly. I simply couldn’t put it down.
So I ignored all other life around me and barricaded myself in my office to read Suzanne Collin’s gripping sequel to The Hunger Games (see my previous post).
If The Hunger Games was one of the best books I’ve ever read, I’m not sure how to classify Catching Fire. It surpassed the high standard set by its predecessor, digging deeper into the characters and setting. In this book, nothing is exactly how it seems, and you are left breathlessly waiting for more.
My only regret – having to wait until 2010 for the third book to come out. How can I possibly wait that long!?
Read MoreBook Review: The Hunger Games
Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.
Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Intrigued? A little?
This is the back cover copy for The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press, 2008). I probably never would have heard of this book or picked it up at a bookstore had it not been for the urging of my Barnes and Noble insider. So I selected this book for the first project for my newly formed book club.
I think everyone in the book club finished this in a few days. I would have read it straight through if I didn’t have responsibilities like work, eating, cleaning house, etc… This book consumed my thoughts and left me dreaming about it and pondering it every moment of the day.
While geared toward a teen crowd, this book reads better than most books for adults and tackles issues I myself find difficult to comprehend. War, turmoil, starvation, rebellion, sacrifice, tyranny and love all play a powerful role, though the author works it all in so subtly.
From page one you are placed in the head of the heroine, Katniss, and though elements are futuristic and almost barbaric, every scene is believable and heart-wrenching.
I don’t want to give much away or over-hype the novel. The writing is superb with touches of humor and glib remarks that made me laugh out loud, drawing strange glances from my husband.
Be warned, the end will leave you crying out for more. Luckily, the second book is available. However, if anything, book two, Catching Fire is even more addicting and thought-consuming. But that is an entirely separate blog.
I mustn’t say any more. Go to the library, get the book. Order it from Amazon or race to a nearby bookstore and block out a few days of your calendar. Happy reading!
Read MoreOCW Fall One-Day Conference
This past Saturday, the Oregon Christian Writer’s Fall One-Day Conference featured keynote speaker, author Eva Marie Everson. I always look forward to these one-day conferences, and this one was no disappointment!
Everson is a fiction and nonfiction published author who has won many awards. She has traveled to Israel several times, out of which came one of her most recent books, “Reflections of God’s Holy Land,” which tells of a moment that she truly “fell” into the Bible. What do I mean exactly? You should buy the book and see!
She spoke about how God’s timing is His own, and He knows the perfect setup for us writers and our novels. One of her book ideas served as a launching point for a different book, “Reflections of God’s Holy Land,” which earned her a prestigious award nomination and much acclaim.
Of course, this is what God clearly wanted me to hear, as I’ve been dragging more and more with my current work in progress. There are those valleys in the writing process where you wonder if all of this is even worth it. The answer? Yes – it is always worth it, even if that novel never sees the light of day. Every writing experience teaches you and develops voice, skill and so much more.
Everson taught several classes that I also took during the conference, one about turning articles into books (fiction or nonfiction). This resonated with me, since I have many years as a journalist.
The most fascinating class of the day was her class on writing suspense. Using the movie, “Speed,” as a classic example of high suspense, she gave us the how to for suspense based on the master himself, Alfred Hitchcock. Since I love suspense scenes, this was very helpful – tips like writing from a reader’s perspective, varying the pace, showing the audience danger the character doesn’t know about to build anticipation, and more. Now, as I watched a movie the next day, I analyzed every scene to notice where the tension and suspense came in. Even in a chick flick, there is subtle suspense – it is what keeps the reader reading.
Now, it’s time to go back and look through my novel and make sure I have enough suspense to keep the reader turning each page, unable to stop. And, when it comes down to it, I know that my writing is part of my journey and God will use this project as He sees fit.
Thanks, OCW, for the inspiring and rewarding One-Day Conference!!
Read MoreWhy I’ve been absent…
The end of September and beginning of October turn into an event marathon at my day job, as events coordinator for the OSU College of Pharmacy. That means nights worked, constant errands and little time outside of work to unwind.
In effort to keep myself sane, I prioritized and decided to put the blogging on hold. This allowed me to continue critting with my critique partners and work on my writing.
Aside from working, writing and managing my household, we painted our house in a weekend and are still finishing up little bits here and there of cleaning and touch ups. The house looks great and I praise God for family and friends who helped us.
This Friday marks the first official meeting for my book club, and we have been reading an amazing novel, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. I will post about that book later. If you are interested in forming a book club, I recommend reading Sarah Sundin’s page about book clubs at http://www.sarahsundin.com.
Next Monday I will have a review of the Oregon Christian Writer’s Fall One-Day Conference with some of the highlights and best tips and advice from the day.
Here’s to getting back into the routine of twice weekly posts about history, writing and riding. I’ve missed you all and look forward to new adventures in blogland!
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